Air traffic controllers have a tough job. They have to make sense ofa constant flood of information, direct flights to the right runways andgates, and make sure everybody lands and departs on time. Airport Mania gives you a little taste of what it might be like in your neighborhood control tower. As a bonus, when you're slow at your job, the airplanes get mad at you.

Seriously.

Airport Mania puts you in charge of traffic control at a variety of different airports. You'll start your career Happy Valley Municipal Airport landing commuter planes. Do well, and you can earn the opportunity to work at larger and larger airports until you reach the pinnacle of your career at Great Lake City International Airport. Making it that far will require nerves of steel and the ability to juggle...

Crud! I've got a jumbo coming in hot and runway one is blocked...hang on...there...got it!

Sorry. Where was I?

The game introduces you to the controls by way of a built-in tutorial. All you really need to know is how (and what) to click. As a cartoon airplane flies over your cartoon airport, click on the plane, click on the runway you want it to land on, and click on the destination gate. When the plane has unloaded and boarded new passengers, click on the plane again and click on the departure runway. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Except, as you repeat, you'll have to deal with two or three or more planes wanting to land at the same time. You'll have to shunt some of them off to the layover spaces and then remember to get them to the first open gate...

Excuse me...what do you mean the President's plane is trying to land?That wasn't on the schedule for today. Was it? Oh, allright, I'll push the commuter to the layover space and let the Presidentland next.

Sorry about that.

To add to the fun, some airplanes will need repairs and will have to be routed to the maintenance shop before they can load up again and head out. Others will need fuel. Some deeply unfortunate planes will need both repairs and fuel. Leave an airplane waiting at any one point too long, and its Groucho Marx-inspired eyebrows will dip in displeasure and you'll lose points for delaying the flight. Get the plane out early, and you'll earn a bonus. From time to time, you'll be called upon to perform some extraordinary service like landing a plane with an expectant mom, or bringing the President's plane safely onto the runway. Careful management is rewarded with ribbons, trophies, and lots of cash that you can use to ...

Pregnant?! You're kidding? Who let her on the airplane? Well of course we've got to get her down. Clear runway one and gate 'B'. Tell 'em we gotta make this delivery!

My apologies. It's tough trying to write a review and land airplanes.

In the game (as in real life) excess cash makes things easier. With the money you earn in each stage of the game, you can buy new tools and technologies to assist you in your tasks. An upgraded runway will be more efficient and will help you earn bigger bonuses. Troubled by foggy conditions? Buy a fan to blow the fog away! Need more layover spaces? Invest in as many as you can afford! Want to keep the planes happy? Invest in in-flight movies and ground service meals. You can even blow your bankroll on newer, bigger jets. All it takes is a little hard work and clever planning to maximize the bonuses...

Three planes that need to be repaired? You gotta be kidding me! Why do we get all the problem cases? Honestly! Alright. The blue one goes first, park the two red ones at the layover stalls, and we'll get to 'em when we can.

You see what I mean? It's impossible to get anything done around here!

Bonuses are awarded for efficient work and for 'stacking' airplanes of the same color at a particular gate. The first time you park a plane, the gate assumes the color of the plane. Park a blue plane, and you have a blue gate. Park another blue plane at the same gate, and you get a bonus multiplier. Keep the string going, and you can ratchet up the multiplier and rake in the points. Park a plane of a different color, and the gate repaints itself, and the multiplier is lost. Since points equate to dollars, it's in your interest to do as well as you can.

Which brings me to my one, very small and very personal, quibble with the game. I'm red/green color-blind, and the airplanes are painted in muted colors which make it difficult for me to tell the difference between green and yellow and purple, pink and blue. More than once I've ruined a good string by landing a blue plane in a spot that should have had a purple one. If the graphics included some kind of logo on the plane, I could key off of that and keep my winning streak alive.

All clear? That's music to my ears. Finally a chance to breathe.

In total, you can play through 84 levels across 8 different airports. Each level is timed, and once the clock runs down, you get a rest. The game ramps up the difficulty slowly, so you never hit a wall. It felt to me as if the game followed each challenging, chaotic level with a simpler, more predictable one. So, while there were occasional hectic moments, it never felt as if the game was playing against me. Few things in my day are as rewarding as the chime and shower of sparks that accompanied the moment when I hit 'Supreme Score' on a level of Aiport Mania.

There are some clever 'busy box' surprises in the backgrounds of some screens and a couple of neat hidden bonuses. When you're not busy clicking on airplanes, make sure you click everything in the scenery.

In terms of content, there is nothing objectionable. The concepts involved are relatively simple, but the gameplay might challenge the reflexes of your youngest gamers. However, you might find it addictive for older gamers who will want to play 'just one more level' before bedtime.